Tonight, Portugal will air its Festival da Canção 2006, in order to select its representative for the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. Ten songs from five producers will be taking part in the contest.
The show will be hosted by as many as six people: Eládio Clímaco who has been the commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest for RTP for several years, Helena Ramos who was the spokesperson of the Poeruguese votes at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest, Isabel Angelino who was the spokesperson of the Portuguese votes at the 2004 and 2005 Eurovision Song Contests, Jorge Gabriel who has been a popular host of RTP shows, Daniel Oliveira who presents Só Visto programme on RTP1 and Helena Coelho who is a young and recent face for the RTP viewers.
The 10 songs and performers taking part at the Festival da Canção at the Lisbon Congress Centre are as follows:
1. Bruno Nicolau – Um dia direi
2. Lara Afonso – Alma nova
3. Madison Lucia – Na noite és tu e eu
4. Maria Folia – Bem mais além
5. Ricardo Moraes – Nunca mais te digo adeus
6. Vânia Oliveira – Sei quem sou (Portugal)
7. Natalie Insoandé – Durmo com pedras na cama
8. Nonstop – Coisas de nada
9. Beto – O amor é uma fonte
10. Cuca – As minhas guitarras
As far as the voting is concerned, it is known that the method of televoting and jury will be used, weightening each of them 50%. The jury consists of Simone de Oliveira who represented Portugal at the 1965 and 1969 Eurovision Song Contests, Fátima Lopes who is a fashion designer responsible for the outfits of Rita Guerra and Louisa Baileche who represented Portugal and France, respectively, at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest. Furthermore, the male jury members are Filiple La Féria who has been a popular producer of several musicals at Lisbon theatres, João Gobern who is a journalist that mainly focus his work on TV issues, and Tozé Brito who represented Portugal at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest as member of Gemini group and composed the 1982 and 1985 Portuguese entries for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Because 2B came 17th in the semifinal with 51 points in Kyiv, Portugal has to enter the semi final of the 51st Eurovision Song Contest.
